Fail Safe
by XionTheBlackRose
Summary: Vanitas was created as a fail safe. He is a special kind of clone created to keep pain from Ventus. If Ventus gets hurt, Vanitas is programmed to take the pain away and take it on himself. With no feelings of his own, he longs to understand and belong in the world he was born into. "You don't get it. I don't feel anything. Happiness, sadness, I don't have that. I'm not like you."
1. Waking Up

**Waking Up**

I close my eyes, turning away from the light blinding me. A hand pulls my face back and a soft voice says, "Open your eyes. We need to make sure everything is functioning as it should be."

I open my eyes only to be blinded again. The light blinds one eye, and then the other. Then the light is gone. I blink slowly and the white fades, I can see people, a room. The room is white, too. I can see four people in the room with me. A tall woman in a white coat over blue clothes. The woman has brown hair and green eyes. The other two tall people are another woman and a taller man.

The man has spiked blond hair and blue eyes, wearing some kind of fancy suit. The woman has black hair pulled up into a bun, and brown eyes. She's wearing a suit, too. The final person is a boy, much shorter than the other people in the room. He has spiked blond hair and blue eyes, too. He's wearing a white shirt and blue pants.

There's suddenly a sharp pain in my arm and I throw my arm out, hitting the woman in white beside me. She gasps and then the tall people are giving me mean looks. I look down at my arm and my arm is bleeding a little. The woman in white wipes the blood away and puts a band-aid on it. The boy smiles at me and a warmth washes over me. I feel weird. I don't understand anything.

The woman in white turns to the tall people, "Everything seems to be functioning properly. The Certificate of Creation should be ready. I'll be right back and you can fill that out so he's on record."

She leaves the room and I'm left with the tall people and the boy. The boy keeps smiling at me. He turns and pulls on the woman's pants, "Mommy, can I talk to him now?"

She looks at the man and he nods, smiling at the boy, "Just go easy, Ventus, he just woke up a few hours ago. You don't want to overwhelm him."

The boy comes over and sits beside me. We're the same height. He smiles, "Hi, my name is Ventus. But _you_ can call me Ven."

I smile back lightly, the warmth is stronger. I meet eyes with this boy and I can suddenly see through his eyes. I can see a boy with crazy black hair and golden colored eyes smiling a little wearing a white shirt and white pants. I blink and look away. I'm staring at the floor, through _my_ eyes. My smile falls and I continue to stare at the floor. The warmth I feel, it was burning hot when I looked into his eyes. Now, it feels colder than it was before I looked into his eyes. A moment later the woman in white returns, handing a clipboard to the man, "Just fill all the information out on the Certificate."

The man fills it out quickly and hands it back to her. She smiles, "Bring him in once a week for the first month for check-ups, just to make sure everything continues working while he's still new. If you have any questions, call our Clone Expert, Dr. Hikari. Her phone number is on the Certificate."

She takes the clipboard, "Let me make a copy of this and once you have the copy, you're clear to take him home."

She bows and leaves the room. I stare at the floor for awhile until the woman comes back. She leaves a moment later and the man speaks, "Come on, you two. Let's get home."

"Coming, Daddy." Ventus replies happily, jumping off the slap we're sitting on. I hesitantly drop off it, staring at my bare feet as they hit the floor. White. So much white. I hate it. I follow them from the room and through a large white room that seems to stretch forever. We leave the white place and I blink as more light blinds me. My vision comes back to focus and I just feel tired. Ventus takes my hand and leads me as I stare at the black ground, reveling in the feeling of it scraping the bottom of my feet. It kind of hurts, and I like that. I can _feel_ that.

We get in a car and I stare out the window as the man drives. I can't hold on to any of the outside, it all just blends together in my mind, making a horrible mess. I'm getting more tired, my eyes don't want to stay open. I hear the woman sigh before I pass out, "They're both asleep."

When I wake up again, I'm lying on a bed in a room painted gray with a single window close to my bed. I look around slowly and there's nothing else in the room. Just my bed, a window, and a door across the room from me. I blink slowly, it's almost black, the light is almost gone in the room. I sit up and take off my clothes, throwing them to the floor. I'm cold and I frown at them, "I hate you."

My voice is small, almost squeaky, like Ventus' but not as happy sounding. There's a lack of _anything_ in my voice. It's empty, just like I feel right now. I'm empty and I don't know who or where I am. I wake up to a woman blinding me and stabbing me and I hate white. Anyone who wears white is bad. Any place that's white is bad, especially the white place with the people with white coats. I hate that place. I pull the black cover over me and shiver, the warmth I felt inside earlier is gone. I'm just cold.


	2. What Am I Supposed To Feel

**What Am I Supposed To Feel, When I Can't Feel At All?**

I lie on my bed, holding my hand up to the light coming through the window. I move my hand around, watching the light slip through my fingers. I hold my other hand up and do the same. I just lie here, staring at the ceiling as I move my hands. I watch the light patterns change on the ceiling for awhile until my arms get tired. I drop my hands to the bed and just stare at the ceiling. I blink slowly, counting the seconds until the light fades completely from the room.

"936,891,744." I close my eyes.

There's suddenly a knock on my door and the familiar warmth returns to my chest, but it's not as warm as I remember it being the first time. I look at the door but I don't speak. The knock sounds again and I just keep staring at the door. I don't want to get up. I don't want to talk. I hear Ven's familiar voice sound from outside the door, "A-are you sleeping? Is it okay if I come in?"

"Come in," I mimic the shy voice he projects.

He opens the door and light pours into the room from the hallway outside my door. I can barely see his features beyond the outline the light makes him out to be. It's dark in here, and he looks nervous. That feeling is projected into me in a sense of fluttering warmth. I can't understand what the warmth and cold means. For the moment, I just want to stay warm. No matter how long I stay under the cover, or how tightly I bundle myself in it, I can never reach the warmth that washes over me when Ventus is near. I don't understand it.

"Um.." he smiles smiles shyly, "Are you sleeping?"

I sit up slowly and mimic the softness, the shyness of his voice again, "I'm not."

I like his voice better than mine. Mine just sounds dead, and his has feeling. He smiles at me and the warmth in me grows. I smile back and he looks around, "It's kind of dark.. Can I turn the light on?"

I shrug, "Go ahead."

I honestly didn't know there was a light in here. Though, I haven't left the bed since I first woke up in here yesterday night. I just felt tired, like I'd been on a long trip. I kind of was, but it's.. Not normal, it's not like I, myself, was tired, but I was kind of forced into sleep. Ventus flips the light switch and in a blink, the room is bathed in light. He smiles sympathetically at me and I remember I'm just wearing underwear. I pull the blanket around me. His smile brightens, "I'll bring you some clothes, I'll be right back."

I watch him leave and I feel the warmth in me slowly turn cold. I think I'm starting to understand. He comes back a few moments later, a bunch of clothes in his arms he comes to my bed and drops all the clothes there. He smiles, and the warmth in me is burning bright again, "You can share my clothes. We're brothers now, so we should share things."

I tilt my head, "Brothers..?"

"Ventus." the woman's voice snaps from my doorway. Ven winces lightly and he turns to her, "Yeah, Mommy?"

"Go play elsewhere." she replies.

Ven pouts and the warmth fades, "But Daddy said I could play with him tonight. I waited all day like you said."

"Go." she points out of the room, a stern look on her face. Ven crosses his arms and leaves the room. When he's gone and the cold fills me, she turns her gaze to me. She's holding a clipboard and she comes in, closing the door behind her. She stares at me, "Do you know what you are?"

I tilt my head slowly, my eyes narrow and I let my real voice speak, "I want to play with Ven."

Her stern expression turns angry, "That's not happening. Now, tell me what you are."

I don't miss a beat, "Ven's brother."

She smacks me across the face and pain flares there. I meet her glare with one of my own as she responds, " _No_ , _you're_ _not_."

She straightens herself and starts writing something on the clipboard. She speaks lowly, "You are a clone. You are not human, and you are not to be around my son without my permission, do you understand? You are here to make sure he stays safe. If at any point you put Ventus in danger, you will be destroyed. Am I making myself clear?"

I nod slowly, "Yes."

"Good." she turns and goes to the door.

"What's my name?" I speak barely above a whisper in my dead voice.

She winces lightly, "What..?"

"You created me, right? So, what's my name?" I reply.

She looks over her shoulder with cold eyes, "Vanitas."

She leaves the room then and I lean against the wall. The pain in my face dulls, but it's still there. And like the scrapes on the bottom of my feet, I like this pain, because I can feel it. Knowing what I am doesn't give me any satisfaction. I don't actually feel anything at all. I can mimic a mean look, a shy voice, but I can't feel anything at all. Just the pain on my body, and the warmth of the little boy that called me his brother.

* * *

I sit on my bed as Ven's father puts a bandage over my bruise, he doesn't look pleased. He sighs and leans back, "How did you get that anyway?"

"The woman hit me." I reply in my dead voice.

He stares at me, "Why?"

"I called Ven my brother." I stare back, "She said I'm not human. She said not to be around him without her permission."

He frowns and stands up. He smiles softly at me and ruffles my hair, "You are human. At least part human anyway. Don't worry about her, I'll make sure she doesn't hit you again. And you and Ven being around one another is good for the both of you."

"You're confusing me," I blink slowly, "You say I can be around him and she says not to. Who am I supposed to listen to?"

"Let me get back to you on that." he leaves the room and after he's gone, I lie back down. My face still hurts, and I'm clinging to the pain with all I am.


	3. Giving Life To The Lifeless

**Giving "Life" To The Lifeless**

I leave my room and slowly step out into the hall. I hear the man and the woman, Ven's parents, arguing in the next room. I stand by the wall, listening.

"You hit him?!" the man tries to yell quietly.

"I didn't hit him that hard," the woman replies.

"You left a bruise on him, Tifa. Do you think the doctors will like to see that? We payed a lot of money to have him made, the least you can do is treat him right." he states.

"Why should I?" she scoffs, "I didn't even want to have this procedure done! Ventus could have died!"

"We're doing this to make sure Ventus doesn't die. You know that." he sighs, "Why are you so against it all of a sudden?"

"I just.." she groans, "I don't like it. I don't like the look in its eyes, a-and his voice.. It's dead, Cloud! That thing can't be human, it-"

She suddenly starts crying and I peek around the window. I see Ven's father holding her. She's gripping his shirt, crying against him. He strokes her hair, "He's not dead, Tifa. He just hasn't learned yet. He will, and it'll be easier. Keeping them separated for a few days is mandatory, to make sure he's still functioning right, but exposing him to Ven early on is good for him, too. He needs to be able to recognize who he can trust, who to protect. You hitting him didn't help anything. All you've done is set what little progress he may have made back."

He sighs and pushes her back slightly. He smiles lightly at her, "The three of us, he needs to trust the most."

She nods slowly, "Y-yeah.. I just.. This isn't how we were told to handle him.."

"You can't treat him like he doesn't matter. He won't be able to do what he was made for if you do that." he states.

She nods again, "You were on the phone with Dr. Hikari, weren't you? What did she say that made you change how you treat him?"

"She's a specialist," he replies, "She says making him feel welcomed and loved is the best thing to do when he's so new. Especially since he was made from Ventus. He's a child, just like Ven. He needs to be treated like a child. He needs to be treated with care. If you go at him like you don't want him.."

"I get it." She turns away from him and I hide behind the wall so she doesn't see me. I continue listening as Tifa sighs, "So.. The specialist says to welcome him into the family?"

"That's right. Treat him like he's human, and he'll react accordingly." he replies.

"I can't deal with him, not with the way he talks, the way he looked at me.." she sighs, "How am I supposed to treat him like my son if he has no life in him?"

"You teach him, Tifa. He's new, and he's not like the normal clones. You can avoid him for now if you want, but don't yell at him or hit him. Treat him like you would Ventus." Cloud explains.

I go back to my room quickly as I hear their footsteps coming my way. The next morning Cloud comes into my room and I look at him from my bed. He smiles at me, "Good morning, Vanitas."

I mimic his smile and the happiness in his voice, "Good morning, Cloud."

He tilts his head lightly, "Who told you my name?"

"I heard the woman, uh, Tifa, say it." I reply.

"Uh-huh." he clicks his tongue, "Well, you can call me Dad if you want. Come on, breakfast is ready."

He leaves and I get up and follow him into the hall. That familiar warmth blossoms in my chest and I hear Ven behind me, "Vani!"

I turn halfway and he collides into me, almost knocking me down. He laughs, smiling at me, "Daddy says you can stay out of your room today! We can finally play!"

I smile back at him and he takes my hand, running past Cloud and pulling me along behind him. We enter the kitchen and I see Tifa setting plates full of food on the table. I count the plates, there's five. Ven takes a seat and pats the chair next to him, "Sit with me, Vani."

I sit beside him quietly. I just want to keep the warmth close. I'm tired of being cold. Cloud sits beside Ven, leaving the only seat next to me. Ven chatters on about some dream he had. I know what he's talking about because I had the same one, but I don't speak. Instead, I stare at Tifa as she wanders about the kitchen, making drinks and getting silverware for us. She sets a fork down beside all our plates and then a glass of milk. She sits beside me, but she doesn't look at me. She completely ignores me. So I keep staring at her.

I eat in silence, and continue to stare at Ven's mother. It occurs to me this meal is all I've had to eat since waking up in the white place, but I'm not hungry. It doesn't hurt to eat, but I'm not hungry. I'll have to remember to write down the differences between me and other people. I want to know more about what I am. It amuses me how hard I can see Tifa trying to ignore me and I keep staring at her with my "lifeless" eyes.

"Vanitas, stop staring, it's not polite." Cloud says and I look back at my plate, nodding so he knows I understand. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tifa relax a little. I take a breath, then turn back to her and mimic Ven's doe-innocent eyes and his shy voice as I smile at her with as much "life" as I can muster, "Good morning, Tifa. Thank you for making me breakfast."

The pure look of disbelief on her face makes me want to laugh. I look back at my plate and continue eating. I hear her mutter a quick "You're welcome" and I just finish my breakfast in silence. I glance at Cloud as I drink my milk and he looks pleased by the events of breakfast. I finish my milk and Ven grabs my hand, pulling me to my feet, grinning, "Come on, let's go play!"


	4. Check-Up Part One: What He Doesn't Know

**Check-Up Part One: What He Doesn't Know**

I sit silently in the back seat of the car beside Ven, who's counting the buildings we pass. Cloud drives, humming along to whatever song the radio is playing. I tilt my head lightly, "Where's Tifa?"

"She's still working," he replies, not reacting to my "dead" voice. I blink slowly, "Where are we going?"

"The hospital, for your check-up. Dr. Hikari herself is going to evaluate you." he replies.

My eyes narrow, The white place. I stare out the window, and I notice Ven isn't counting anymore. It's then that I feel the familiar pull of tiredness from the day we drove away from the white place, er, The _hospital_. I look at Ven and he's falling asleep. And he's making me fall asleep, too. I try to fight it, but I can't. My eyes are suddenly too heavy to keep open, and then I'm pulled subconsciously into his dream. I'm a specter in his mind, sharing his dream in my own mind..

It's nothing more than colors and fast fading images of people he knows. And then it shifts and something actually happens. Through his eyes I see the house we share in front of us, well, in front of Ven. He's jumping around in puddles as it rains around him. He suddenly stop jumping and turns around. I'm standing in front of him now, and He smiles but I just stand there, blank faced. He tilts his head and reaches towards me. I don't move and when he grabs my shoulder, my body suddenly collapses, like it's just a shell. Like there's nothing inside it. Inside _me_.

I'm suddenly thrown into my own consciousness and I cough lightly, rubbing my eyes as everything comes back into focus as I wake up. I look at Ven and he's staring out the window again. He glances at me and he smiles when he catches me looking at him. I return his smile, putting as much life into my eyes as I can. _That dream.. Does he even know what I am?_ I'll ask Cloud if I ever get a moment alone with him. Ven sits up straight, grinning with sleepy eyes, "You wanna play a game, Vani?"

"Sure, what game?" I indulge him.

"Hmmmmmmm," he looks around, "Let's play.. I Spy."

"How do you play?" I ask.

His smile brightens, "You pick something around you and you have to say something about it, like what color it is, and who you're playing with has to guess what it is."

I shrug, "Sure, let's play."

"Okay," he looks around, "I'll start."

I watch him as he looks around. He looks back at me, "Okay. I spy something blue."

I look around, looking for anything colored blue. I look out the window, checking for blue colored cars, but I don't see any. I look at the sky then look back at Ven, "Is it the sky?"

"You got it, that's one point for you." he giggles, "Your turn."

I look out the window, "I spy something green."

A moment later he asks, "Is it a tree?"

"Yup," I reply.

He giggles, "I spy something.. Black."

I look around for several minutes while he giggles at me, "Is it a car?"

"Nope."

"Hm.. Seat belt?"

"Nu-uh."

"Floor board?"

"Keep looking."

"A car?" I stare at him and he laughs, "It's your shirt, Vani!"

I smile, "Okay, you get the point, then? I spy something green."

"A tree?" he snickers.

I laugh softly, "You're good at this game."

"I spy something.. Blue." he crosses his arms, grinning.

I spot the blue car passing us and I point to it, "That?"

He nods and I sigh, "I spy something green."

"A tree," he shakes his head, smiling, "You can't keep picking the same thing."

"Boys, we're here." Cloud parks the car in the familiar lot. We get out and I walk beside Cloud as Ven walks on his other side, holding his hand. Cloud tries to hold my hand, and I look at him. He smiles at me and leads us inside the hospital. We go to the waiting room and there's a bunch of people of various ages in here. We sit there for awhile before a voice rings out, calling Cloud's name, instructing us to go to some room I didn't quite understand. We leave the waiting room and go down a hallway and a woman in a white coat over pink scrubs and red hair waves at us from outside an office.

We go in and Cloud smiles at her, "Good morning, Dr. Hikari."

She smiles back, and I notice the same doctor woman from my first visit is in here, too. Dr. Hikari turns to her, "Dr. Gainsborough, take Ventus to get his check-up done, please."

Dr. Gainsborough nods and takes Ven's hand, leading him out. Dr. Hikari closes the door once they're gone, and I feel the warmth slowly turn cold as Ven leaves. Dr. Hikari turns to me and smiles, "Good morning, Vanitas. How are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm cold." I state dully.

She sits me on stool and takes my chin in her hand, moving my face around. She removes her hand a moment later, "What happened to your face, sweetie?"

"Tifa hit me." I reply.

The doctor frowns and turns to Cloud. Her voice is calm, but there's an edge to it, "Your wife _hit_ him?"

Cloud scratches the back of his head nervously, "She just got freaked out. Sometimes Vanitas has a lack of.. Emotion, and it makes her uncomfortable. She won't do it again."

Dr. Hikari crosses her arms, "She better not. I do have the authority to remove Vanitas from your custody."

She then sighs, "About his lack of emotion, it's one of the reasons we don't normally clone children. Normal kids have barely developed, so making a clone of those children produces an even more undeveloped creation. I only have two child clones under my care, including Vanitas. Cloning children is not only unorthodox, it's commonly looked down upon, more so than cloning adults."

"Why is cloning children so bad?" I ask.

She turns back to me and smiles softly, "It's not bad, it's just.. Very dangerous."

I tilt my head, "Can I meet the other child clone that's under your care?"

"Sure," she replies, "She lives in the hospital right now."

She leaves the room and once she's gone, I look at Cloud, "Does Ven know I'm his clone?"

Cloud looks at me and he sighs, shaking his head, "We told him we adopted you. Tifa doesn't want him knowing until he's older."

I cross my arms, mimicking Tifa's glare again, "What did you make me for?"


	5. Check-Up Part Two: To Keep The Warmth

**Hello, readers. In this chapter, I use the word "Host" to describe those clones are made from. This is inspired by Justice Tokidoki's "Human Condition" and I have been given permission to use the same meaning of the word she uses. Just giving credit where credit is do. Thank you and enjoy the chapter. Reviews are helpful so I know what you precious readers think. ;) Please continue to review. Until next time,  
**

 **Xion, out**

* * *

 **Check-Up Part Two; To Keep The Warmth**

Cloud crosses his arms loosely, closing his eyes, "Ventus was diagnosed with Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma when he was two years old. He has a tumor attached to his heart, so surgery will most likely kill him. His doctor says he probably won't live past ten, and he's only eight-years-old."

He opens his eyes and his expression is pained, "His doctor, Dr. Gainsborough told us about the Cloning Program ran from this hospital. She told us what most of the clones are able to do. The risk of cloning Ven was high, especially with his illness, he could have died before you were even created, but he didn't. We made you his fail safe. We created you to.. Save him."

My eyes narrow, "How am I supposed to do that? What are you expecting me to do?"

Cloud sighs, "You were made specifically to keep the tumor from killing him. We payed a lot of extra money to have you made this way. You can take his illness away, little by little. You will save his life, Vanitas."

I just stare at him. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to think. If I could feel anything but cold, I'd like to think I'd feel anger. Dr. Hikari comes back then and she brings a little girl in with her. The little girl is a little smaller than me with very pale skin, blond hair so pale it's almost white. She wears a white dress with no shoes. Her eyes interest me the most. They're a bright gold, just like mine. And this girl isn't pretending to hold "life" in them. Dr. Hikari smiles, "This is Namine. She was the first to be cloned from a child."

Her smile falls and the look in her eyes change. Her eyes carry the same pain I saw in Cloud's eyes as she speaks again, "My daughter, her Host.. Is currently in a coma.."

"Host?" I ask.

"Who you were created from." she replies.

"You cloned your daughter?" Cloud asks, "Why, if you know cloning a child can do?"

She smiles lightly, "Because she's sick, too. And.. You're here for the same reason I was. You understand."

He nods slowly, looking at Namine. Dr. Hikari sighs, "Kairi's been in a coma since Namine was born. Kairi's heart started to fail just before the process was done, and that was several months ago. I know the reason Kairi's heart is still beating is because Namine exists."

"How do you know that for sure?" Cloud looks back at her.

She looks down at Namine, "I do all of Namine's check-ups, and what resembles a heart in her beats fast enough and hard enough for two people. Namine's perfectly healthy, even though a heart like hers should make her fragile.."

Namine looks up at Dr. Hikari, "I'm keeping her warm, Mommy."

She pets Namine's head, "I know, sweetie."

I snap in Namine's face to get her attention. She looks at me and blinks slowly.

"Are you cold right now?" I ask, "Inside?"

She nods, "I'm always cold. If Kairi goes cold, that's bad. I keep her warm next to me."

"How do you do that?" I tilt my head.

She hits her chest, "Kairi makes me warm inside, so I do the same for her. If she starts to go cold, I hold her hand until the warm is back."

I nod slowly, "Yeah.. Okay.."

Dr. Hikari takes Namine's hand, "I'm taking her back to her room, I'll be back in a moment to finish up Vanitas's check-up."

She leaves with Namine and I stare at Cloud again. He's staring at the floor.

"I'm not mad." I say.

He looks at me, "What?"

"I'm not mad," I repeat, "That you had me made. Ven could be like the doctor's daughter right now, but he's not. I'll make you a deal."

He raises his eyebrow with a small smile on his face, "I'm glad you're not mad. Now, what's this about a deal?"

"I'll do what I can to keep Ven alive, but I don't want to be a clone. I want to be your family." I state, "I want to be treated like I'm really your son."

"It's a deal." his smile widens a little, "I'll make sure Tifa treats you right."

"I'll be good around her, I promise." I say.

He moves and kneels down before hugging me. I gasp softly and hug him back. He pulls back, "Now, tell me what you meant when you asked Namine if she's cold inside."

I shrug, and before I can answer, Dr. Hikari comes back. I go back and sit on the slap and she walks over to me, smiling, "Let's get this finished up so you can go home. Now, tell me, can you feel this?"

She pokes at my arms and sides. I nod and she pokes my knees and shins. I keep nodding and then she checks my vitals and whatever things inside me are pretending to be organs. She steps back once she's done and writes on a paper that's sitting on the desk beside me. She hands it to Cloud, "Okay, Vanitas is perfectly healthy, and Dr. Gainsborough called me and Ventus is clear, too, as much as he can be with his illness, but his tumor has shrunk a little, so you should be happy. I want to see Vanitas again in a month. If everything is still in order after that check-up, I'll clear him to be enrolled in school."

She turns to me, "If you ever want to talk to me, have Cloud call me. I'm always available."

She turns back to Cloud before leaving, "You can meet Ventus in the children's waiting room and you're free to go."

I follow Cloud until we get to Ven and then we leave the hospital. We get back in the car and Cloud smiles at us from the driver's seat, "Who's hungry? Where do you boys want to go for lunch?"


	6. Casualty of My Existence

**Casualty of My Existence**

I stand in the bathroom, staring at myself in the mirror. I raise an eyebrow, going over my choice of wardrobe again. A black T shirt with the logo of one of my favorite rock bands, white jeans with rips at the knees over black combat boots, and red and black striped finger-less elbow gloves to to throw the look together. And to hide the evidence of what makes me feel. I tilt my head back, smirking, "I look good."

The warmth explodes in my chest as Ven yells, knocking on the door, "Come on, Vanitas, we'll be late! It's the first day of Tenth grade, you can't be late yet!"

"Just a minute, Ven!" I call back, opening the file cabinet. I grab the pack of colored contacts Cloud got me when I started kindergarten. Ven, Tifa, and Cloud are the only ones besides our doctors that know I'm a clone. It's better to keep it that way, otherwise I'll be subjected to the segregation and abuse that clones are put through. I pop in my blue contacts and open the door.

Ven smiles at me, "Ready to go, bro?"

"Boys, the bus is here!" Cloud calls and Ven holds up my black and white checkered backpack while shouldering his own. I take the bag and follow him out to the front yard where are bus driver is patiently waiting for us. We sit together near the back and I put my headphones in, using my phone to listen to music while Ven chats with some of his friends that are sitting in front of us. We get to school shortly and I walk by Ven as he continues whatever conversation he's been having. I can feel his happiness at seeing the friends he's missed over the summer and while it annoys me, I don't want to walk away. I don't want to be cold just yet. As soon as school starts, I will be because we have different classes across the school, but we have the same lunch period, so that sort of makes up for it.

Since I started school, Cloud's had the schools put me in all of Ven's classes up until two years ago. I know what he did that for, and it wasn't so I could catch up on schooling. I get all of Ven's memories, so I don't really have to learn. No, he did it so I could be Ven's fail safe until he reached ten. Ven liked having me in his classes, so we kept it like that until we turned fourteen. Ven's health is so much better now, and I hide the fact that what passes as mine isn't.

I throw my arm around Ven, touching his arm. I pull a headphone out and feign interest as I do what I'm made to do, "So, did you hear there's a new kid this year?"

"No way?" Ven's friend Lea laughs, "Seriously? We never get new people."

I nod, "I know, right?"

I like to eavesdrop when Tifa or Cloud are on the phone. I pull away from Ven as someone familiar catches my eye. Namine walks right up to us, that familiar pale hair and "dead" eyes. It surprises me that she isn't trying to hide what she is. Well, she was home schooled from what I was told by Dr. Hikari. Namine smiles but the "dead" look in her eyes remains. Given that her Host is most likely still in a coma, she probably doesn't know how to put "life" in her eyes like I learned by watching Ven. Ven's eyes are different from his parents, so I mimicked his.

"Hello." she smiles at Ven and Lea, "I'm Namine."

Ven waves and smiles while Lea blinks, "A clone, huh?"

It's the gold eyes that gives us away, I'd offer to give Namine some of my contacts, but from the looks people around us are giving her, it's already too late. She's been branded as public enemy number one. I smile at Namine, "Nice to see you again."

"You know her?" Lea asks.

I nod, "I met her when I was little. Our doctor works closely with the Cloning Program."

"Ah," he grins, bowing to her like an idiot, "The name's Lea, Milady."

He thinks he's charming. Namine looks back at me. She tilts her head, "Your eyes. You are Vanitas, aren't you?"

I pull her aside, whispering, "I am, I keep my eyes secret."

She blinks, "Why?"

"You'll see." I grunt. The bell rings then and I wave as I follow Ven and Lea inside. She walks behind us and I can hear people whispering about her. _Well, this year is going to suck._

* * *

I walk down the hall after lunch, heading to my next class when I feel everything inside me twist. I cough and I can feel something building in my chest. I keep coughing and I stumble. I blink as I'm suddenly dizzy. I squeeze my eyes shut for moment, ignoring the people complaining as they push around me. I cough again and I think I spit on the floor. I open my eyes and there's specks of blood on the floor. _Damn it, not now._

I cover my mouth, shoving my way through students as I keep coughing. I can feel the blood spilling out into my hand. I rush to the bathroom and shove the first stall I see open. I collapse in front of the toilet, hacking up so much blood it looks like I've been stabbed. My body trembles and I keep coughing and hacking. So much blood spills from my mouth, it tastes awful. I wrap an arm around my torso, using the other to keep myself from falling completely to the floor. I can hear boys calling to me, asking if I'm okay, but I can't answer them even if I wanted to. And then I hear the voice of the one person I never wanted to know this and the warmth blossoming in me might as well be poison.


	7. Suffocating In Fear

**Suffocating In Fear**

Ven calls orders like he owns the place, "Clear out, give him room! Someone get the nurse, someone else get the principal! Is anyone in Vanitas's next class? Get his teacher!"

I keep my eyes shut, shivering. I don't want to see how much blood is covering the floor. The twisting feeling inside me continues and I cough up more blood. I feel someone touch my shoulder and I tense up.

"Calm down, it's just me." Ven speaks softly, "You're going to be okay. I'm calling Dad."

I shiver and nod slowly. I move, sitting up slowly. I sit back against the wall by the door of the stall, still clutching my torso. The twisting pain has subsided, but now I don't have the energy to move. I open my eyes, breathing heavily and there's so much blood on the floor, it's leaked into the stall beside it. There's splashes of blood on the toilet and the walls and I shiver, groaning. It looks like a murder happened here.

"Hey, Dad? You need to come to the school right now." Ven talks on the phone behind me, "It's Vanitas, he's really sick.. There's so much blood.."

I look back into the crowd of boys still hanging around the bathroom. Most of them look really worried for me. I doubt they would if they knew I am a clone. Our principal, Ansem Wise, enters the bathroom, "Everyone get to class!"

The students run out, leaving the principal, Ven, who's still on the phone, and me in the bathroom. Ventus hangs up the phone and looks at Ansem, "Dad's on his way to come get Vanitas."

Ansem nods slowly, "Good, good. Get to class, Ventus. I'll stay with your brother until your father gets here."

Ven looks back at me and there's pain in his eyes. He's scared, and that's all that fills my being. It's never been this bad, and he's never seen it happen before. His fear is amplified and filling me until there's no room for anything else. I'm suffocating in his fear. He leaves a moment later and I'm for once grateful for the cold that replaces the fear that was choking me. Ansem kneels by me, his kind eyes bear into me, "Can you tell me what happened?"

I look away, _What am I supposed to say? This is normal, I stole my Host's tumor?_ I sigh slowly and mutter, "I have.. It's.. A tumor in my chest.. The side effects include puking blood.. It's usually not this bad, though.. I.. I'm sorry.."

Ansem frowns, "We weren't made aware of this."

"It doesn't happen often, and-" I lean away from him as my insides twist again and I cough up more blood. I lean back against the wall, shuddering, "It's never been this bad.."

Ansem stares at me and I close my eyes, "Is Dad here yet..?"

Ansem stands slowly, "I'll go check. I can't leave you alone, I need you to come with me."

I open my eyes half way and smile lightly, "Move me and you'll have blood all over your hallways. I don't think you want that."

He doesn't look pleased by my comment and he runs a hand through his hair, "I shouldn't leave you alone in a situation like this."

I roll my eyes, "Go check. I'm not going to choke on my own blood."

Ansem frowns, "I'll be quick." and he leaves me alone in the bathroom. I groan softly and lean my head back against the wall. I'm so tired now. I'm not sleepy, just.. I don't want to move, ever again. I don't have the energy. A few minutes later, Ansem returns with Cloud and I smile lightly at him, "Sorry to pull you from work.."

He shakes his head and for once, I can't read the expression on his face. He moves and scoops me up in his arms, holding me bridal style. Without a word to Ansem, he leaves the bathroom and starts heading for the closest exit. I feel my insides twist again and I cover my mouth with both my hands as I start hacking up blood again. I'm trembling and Cloud holds me closer. Blood is spilling all over me and I close my eyes tight, trying to hold it down.

We get to the car quickly and Cloud moves, letting me stand, but still holding on to me like I'll suddenly fall if he lets go. He opens the passenger side door for me and I get in slowly. He opens the backseat door and takes a bucket out of the seat before closing the door and handing it to me. He closes my door then and gets in the driver's seat. He pulls out of the school's driveway too fast and then we're heading down the highway. I glance at him, "C-Cloud..?"

He doesn't answer me, he just drives quickly, staring out the windshield with an unreadable expression. His hands clench the steering wheel so tight his knuckles are white. I swallow slowly, wincing as the taste of copper lines my throat. I shiver lightly, my body is strained from the amount of blood I've been hacking up. If I cough up any more like that, I'm going to pass out.

My phone vibrates in my pocket and I wipe the blood off my hands on my jeans, before reaching into my pocket. I pull my phone out and I see Ven texted me, **What is happening to you? Tell me the truth.** I sigh softly, replying, **There's too much to tell. I want to tell you in person, so we'll talk when I get home. I promise, I'll tell you everything.**


	8. Am I Just Pretend, or Am I Real?

**Am I Just Pretend, or Am I Real?**

"He's going to be okay, right?" Cloud frowns.

Dr. Hikari nods, "He'll be fine. I'm glad you got him to me when you did, it could have been worse."

"What happened?" I ask, "Why was it so bad this time?"

She turns to me, "The phantom tumor you've acquired is quite aggressive. It won't kill you, but the side effects can get rather bad. Just take these pills, one per day, and you shouldn't experience such harsh side effects of the phantom tumor. You will still experience the side effects, but they won't get as bad as today. I recommend keeping him home for a few days, and mandatory bed rest."

Cloud nods, "Gog it, thank you. That's a relief."

She hands him a bottle of pills, "Bring him back if the pills don't work. You guys can go home, Vanitas will be fine. Here, give him these, too."

She goes to the desk and opens a drawer, pulling out another bottle. She hands that to Cloud as well, "These will put him to sleep, as a clone, he only sleeps when his Host does. Give him one of these a day for two weeks. Sleeping will help the other pills calm his symptoms."

I roll my eyes, "Great, you're recommending he comatose me."

She smiles lightly, "I give Namine these pills, too. She never sleeps without them."

I frown, "Namine doesn't sleep?"

She shakes her head, "I guess her biology is mixed up because she was born as Kairi went into a coma."

"I'll say.." I look down, "Well.. Tell her I said 'hey.'"

"She's here, if you want to see her." Dr. Hikari smiles, "She was quite worried about you."

I raise an eyebrow, "Did she call you?"

"Yeah, I had Dr. Gainsborough bring her here earlier." she replies.

I shrug, "Oh. It's nice of her to pretend to care."

Dr. Hikari frowns lightly, "She cares."

"Got to have feelings to care," I smirk, "All we can do if get good at pretending."

I sigh and tilt my head, "Can we go now?"

She nods, "Yeah, go ahead."

I leave the room, "Come on, Cloud. I'm _pretending_ to be tired, I want to go home."

I can feel the good doctor's eyes on me and I look back at her. I smile softly, "Hey, you want to pretend she has feelings, go ahead. I know that's what Cloud does."

Cloud frowns and pats Dr. Hikari's shoulder before leading me down the hallway. He sighs, "You didn't have to say those things to her."

I look at the floor, "She, of all people, know clones don't truly feel. Besides, I'm right. You pretend I have feelings, too. Just like I do, and she does, and everyone that knows what I really am."

"I made you a deal, Vanitas." he turns to me, grabbing my shoulder, "You _are_ my son."

I push his hand away, "I wasn't always. I heard what Tifa said that night. Your original plan wasn't to treat me like I'm real. So, tell me, Cloud, what _was_ your original plan?"

"That doesn't matter," he almost glares.

I glare back, " _Yes_ , _it_ _does_. If I had refused to help Ven, what would you have done? Would you have _forced_ me to? Or just _killed_ me? I'm only a _clone_ , it's not like I have rights, it's not like I _matter_."

"You matter to _us!_ " he replies.

I cross my arms, eyes narrowing, "I'm sure I do. After all, I'm the _thing_ keeping _your son alive._ "

"Hey!"

I frown, turning towards the voice that interrupted us. Namine storms over, and then she slaps me across the face, glaring with her "dead" eyes, "Don't talk to my mother like that. And don't talk to your father like that."

"He's not my father!" I reply.

She shoves me, "He raised you, didn't he? So what if you were made to save some dying kid? So was I, and you don't see me making a scene in the middle of a hospital? I could hear you all the way from Kairi's room. Suck it up, Vanitas, quit being such a child."

She glares at me, "I may be a clone, I may not have generic human emotion, but I do _feel_. And so do you."

I glare back at her, "Go away, this isn't about you."

She crosses her arms, "If you don't have feelings, then why are you so worked up right now? Answer that truthfully, then get back to me."

She turns and walks away and I stare after her. Could she be right? No, I don't feel anything unless Ven is near. Unless.. I do? I was angry, wasn't I? But that's impossible. Isn't it? I shake my head and turn back to Cloud, "Sorry. Let's just go home."

He nods wordlessly and I follow him to the car. I stare out the window as we drive back home. The ride is mostly silent until Cloud speaks up, "The original plan was to treat you more like a doctor than a child. We were going to be strict, there were going to be rules. Dr. Hikari changed my mind, and I'm glad she did. So, no, we were never going to mistreat you. And I do think of you as my son. Tifa does as well."

I close my eyes, "I'm sorry."

We get home a few minutes later and I go to my room with the meds Dr. Hikari gave me. I take one for my phantom symptoms and a moment later Ven barges into the room, "How did it go?"

I turn to him, "It went fine. I'll be fine."

"You said you'd tell me the truth, about what happened to you?" he crosses the room and sits on my bed, looking at expectantly. I sigh and sit with him, turning to him, "I'm not supposed to tell you this."

He nods, "But you will..?"

I sigh, "You deserve to know the truth. You know I'm a clone, but.. They didn't tell you who I was clone from. I'm your clone, Ven. The day we met in the hospital? That's the day I was made. I was made to.. Save your life. You had a tumor attached to your heart, and it would kill you, so.. I was made to take it from you. And that's what I do, that's why I got sick."

I smile at the shocked look on his face, "I won't die, I'm not human inside, I don't actually have real organs. I don't actually have a real tumor, either. It's what Dr. Hikari calls a phantom. I get the symptoms of it, but it can't actually kill me."

He hugs me and I gasp. When he speaks there's pain in his voice, "Stop it. Don't save me anymore if it just hurts you. It's not fair."

I hug him back, smiling softly as I do what he's asking me not to and I reply, "I can't, Ven. It's not in my.. Programming not to.. Protect you."


	9. Can't Be What Isn't Real

**Can't Be What Isn't Real**

I lean against the wall in the living room as Ventus storms up to his parents, "He's my clone?!"

Cloud's eyes widen and he stammers. Tifa sighs and crosses her arms, glaring at me for a moment before addressing her son, "Yes, he is."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?!" he demands.

I can feel the betrayal and anger fueling him, and I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed by his emotions again. Still, I don't move. Cloud puts a hand on Ven's shoulder, "We were going to tell you."

"When?" Ven steps back, "Why do you keep lying to me?! You didn't tell me I was sick, you didn't tell me Vanitas was a clone for several years, and now I find out he's not only my clone, but you made him to keep me alive?!"

Cloud sighs, "Calm down, Ven. Let us explain."

Ven crosses his arms, glaring, "Fine. Explain how you could do that to him?"

Tifa crosses her arms, "And what exactly do you think we did to him?"

"You told me he was going to be my brother, but he's just.. Just.." He shakes and I speak in my dead voice for the first time in years, "Just your fail safe?"

The pure shock in the room creates such tension I feel like I'm going to suffocate in it. I stare at them, blank-faced with crossed arms, "What? That's what I am."

"Stop talking like that," Tifa demands.

I let my eyes return to their original "dead" setting, "Why should I? This is how I really am. _What_ I really am."

I feel Ven's discomfort, but I ignore it as I continue in my "factory" setting, "I think it's time he knows the truth. I'm not a person, I don't have feelings. Happiness, sadness, I don't feel that. I'm not like you."

I smirk, "Hell, I don't even have real organs."

"Vanitas, stop." Cloud warns.

Ven's discomfort turns to fear but I keep talking, "I don't technically exist, I don't have fingerprints. As a clone, I'm not allowed to get a job, eat at restaurants, or drive a car. If not for your parents and Dr. Hikari, I wouldn't even be able to go to school. That's why I hide my eyes. That's why I pretend to be human by copying the feelings that flow into me from you. They flow into me, but I don't really feel them, not like you do. I mimic _you_ , Ven. I can pretend because I _copy_ _you_."

Ventus turns to me fully, "Vanitas.. You.. You are real."

I shake my head, "No, I'm not. I'm just around to keep you alive. It's all I'm programmed to do."

Ven shakes his head, and the fear returns to discomfort, "No, I refuse to believe that. You may copy me, but you're not.. Nothing. What you do, how you act and talk? That's not me, that's _you_ , Vanitas. You have _your own_ personality. You're real, on some level."

I close my eyes, going back to my copied voice, "That's nice of you to say, but it doesn't change anything. You can't be what isn't real, Ven. I'm a clone. I'll never be human. I'm never going to be a real person."

The anger Ven felt with his parents has evaporated, now he just feels bad for me. Which in turn makes me feel bad for me, and I don't like it. I open my eyes, bringing the "life" back to them and I smile lightly, "But I appreciate what you said."

I turn away, heading for my room, "I'm going to bed."

I go to my room and take the sleeping pills off the dresser, opening the bottle. Ventus stands in my doorway, "Don't."

I look at him, raising an eyebrow, "Don't go to sleep?"

"Don't.. Overdose yourself." he replies.

I tilt my head, "What?"

He stares back at me, "I just.. Have this feeling.. Just.. Don't, okay?"

I smile lightly, "I don't even think that's possible, Ven. You have to have organs before overdosing can shut them down."

He frowns, "But.. Don't you have to have organs for pills to work?"

"These are specifically made to work on clones for that exact reason." I reply, popping a sleeping pill in my mouth and swallowing it quickly, "Now leave me alone so I can go to sleep."

He nods slowly and leaves. I close the door and go to my bed. I lie down and close my eyes, pulling the cover over myself. I feel the familiar sinking feeling from when Ven pulls me into sleep, but this is different. This is colder, and there's nothing but darkness. I open my eyes when light shines through my window. I cough and roll over as my insides tighten like they had at school. I lean over the bed and throw up blood on the carpet. I groan and push myself up.

I rub my eyes, looking around. _Why didn't Ven wake me up for school?_ I wince, feeling my insides tighten again. _Right, I'm on sick leave._ I lean over the bed and cough up more blood onto the floor. I get off the bed and grab my pills off the dresser for the phantom symptoms. I take one, then leave the room. I walk into the living room and I frown when I see Dr. Hikari sitting on the couch. I cross my arms, "What are you doing here?"

She stands, looking at me with wide eyes, "You're finally awake, I've been trying to wake you for the past hour."

"Why?" I ask.

"It's Ventus," she states, "He was rushed to the hospital this morning."


	10. My Brother's Keeper Or Exocutioner?

**My Brother's Keeper Or Exocutioner?**

Dr. Hikari drives me to the hospital in silence. I stare out the window and everything inside me twists. I feel sick, but not like before. It's not the phantom sickness doing this to me, but I don't know what is. We get to the hospital and she leads me to where Cloud and Tifa are in the waiting room. She runs off then, probably to help Ventus. I sit across from his parents, and neither of them are looking at me. I swallow lightly, "Is he okay..?"

They don't answer me and I clear my throat, "Um.. What happened?"

They still don't answer me and I stare at the floor, wrapping my arms around myself as the twisting inside me gets worse. I feel like I'm suffocating, and I can't understand why. The twisting in me suddenly sends a sharp pain through me and I double over. I cough up blood on the floor and shiver, I'm suddenly very dizzy. The room spins and then I'm staring at the ceiling. Cloud lifts me up, he looks worried, "Are you okay..?"

"I.. I don't know," I cough, shivering, "How's Ventus..?"

His expression becomes pained, "We're not sure. We haven't been able to see him yet."

I blink slowly, "What.. Happened?"

"He was getting ready for school and then.. He just.. Passed out. He was coughing up blood and seizing. We called an ambulance immediately. He's been with the doctors for a few hours now. Dr. Gainsborough said they're trying to stabilize him." he replies.

I sit up fully, leaning against the chair I had been sitting in, "Why.. Wouldn't you look at me when I got here? Why are you talking to me now?"

"We're in shock and.. We're trying to understand what's happening. We didn't mean to shun you. I don't have the answers to your questions." he states.

I see Tifa glaring at me with tears in her eyes. I sigh, "You blame me for this?"

"I don't," Cloud says and I gesture to Tifa, "She does."

Cloud looks back at her and she looks away. I look at the blood I spat on the floor and I shiver. This dread fills me and I can't make it go away. Ven is close, I can feel him. His pain, his fear, his dread. I can feel everything he's feeling right now, and I'm scared because he's scared. He doesn't know what's happening, and I feel tears rolling down my face. Cloud looks back at me and gasps softly, "Vanitas..?"

"Ven.." I whisper, "Ven's crying.."

Dr. Hikari runs up to us, "Vanitas, come with me, right now."

I push myself up, wiping away tears that won't stop falling, "What's going on?"

Her eyes are cold for once and she grabs my hand, rushing down the hallway she first disappeared down. I look back at Cloud as I pulled away behind her. I look back at her, "What's happening? Is Ven going to be okay?"

She stops and turns towards me, gripping my shoulders, "You have no idea what you've done, do you?"

My eyes widen, "What I've.. Done..?"

She turns back and keeps walking. I frown and follow after her, "What are you talking about?"

She doesn't reply and we walk in silence for several moments before she ushers me into a room. Dr. Gainsborough and a few doctors I don't recognize are in the room and Ven's lying on the bed, his eyes are open, but I don't think he's actually awake, at least not all the way. He's shivering and his mouth is covered in blood. He's under the blanket and I can multiple tubes and wires connected to him in various places. The twisting inside me gets worse and I collapse. Dr. Hikari catches me and my vision blurs.

I cough up blood just as Ven does and everything makes sense. This different sickness I've felt since getting to the hospital, it's Ven. But this has never happened. Ven's had colds and the flu in the past, and those never affected me. I'd feel tired and miserable, but I never got the symptoms like he did. Dr. Hikari's question flashes through my mind; _"You have no idea what you've done, do you?"_

I look up at her, "What.. Did I do..?"

Her eyes darken and she sits me on the floor, "Vanitas, when was the last time you took part of the tumor from him?"

"Earlier last night." I reply.

"The tumor is gone," she replies, "And so are a few of his organs."

My eyes widen and I shake "Wh-what..?"

"Your 'fail safe' is killing him." she states, "Ventus won't make it through the day unless you give the organs you stole back."

Everything in me shatters. I'm killing him. I was made to save his life, and I'm killing him. I shake and start sobbing as Ven does. He heard every word. He knows it's my fault, too. I look at Dr. Hikari, "How? How do I give them back? Will his tumor come back if I do?"

"The tumor is gone, it won't come back," she replies, "But you need to give his organs back. He's dying, Vanitas."

"How?!" I cry, "How do I give them back?!"

"Only you know how." she says.

I shake my head, "What if I just take more..? I don't want to kill him.."

"You just have to want to give back what you took, and it will work."

I look up, "Namine..? Why are you here?"

She shrugs, "Kairi's here. And I heard Ventus was hurt, so I came to see if he's okay."

I stand slowly, "How you keep Kairi alive.. It's like this?"

She nods, "Just think of what you want to give. You don't want to take, your body won't take."

I nod slowly, "You're sure it'll work?"

She nods again, "Works on Kairi. I keep her warm. If she goes cold, it's bad."

I nod, "Yeah.. Yeah.."

I walk over to Ven slowly and he meets my gaze. I shiver, "Ven.."

I take his hand gently, closing my eyes. My body trembles as I will it to give back what it took, "I'm so sorry.. So very sorry.."


	11. Who I Am Doesn't Matter

**Who I Am Doesn't Matter**

I pace the living room, "Why won't you let me see him?"

"You almost killed him!" Tifa growls, sitting on the couch. Cloud's with Ven in the bedroom, and they want me to stay out here. To stay away from him. I glare at her, "I didn't do it on purpose."

She stands, "You think that makes it better?! You don't deserve to exist, you monster! You're a waste of space and money!"

I walk up to her and grab the collar of her shirt. My eyes narrow as I let the "life" in them fade away. I speak with no emotion as I lift her up into the air, staring up at her as I do, "You know, I'm getting really sick of your hatred for me. What I do doesn't matter, you've hated me since I was born."

She groans, "Put me down at once!"

"Vanitas!" Cloud yells in surprise.

I turn to him, "She was saying some very mean things."

"Put her down!" he demands.

I shrug and drop her. She yelps slightly, hitting the floor. She then looks up, glaring at me before looking at Cloud, "I want it destroyed. Now!"

Cloud frowns, "We're not going to destroy him."

"Why not?!" she growls, pushing herself to her feet, "It almost killed Ventus, it's out of control! It needs to be destroyed!"

"Don't bother," I cross my arms, "I'm leaving. I don't want to keep ruining your precious family."

"Vanitas, wait," Cloud comes towards me and I shake my head, "No, I see when I'm not wanted. Thanks anyway. Tell Ventus I'm sorry."

I turn and quickly leave the house. I look around and cut through the neighbor's yard quickly. I don't want Cloud to be able to follow me. I can hear him calling for me, but I keep running, cutting through everyone's yards, trying to stay out of sight. I pull my phone from my pocket and call Dr. Hikari. She answers on the third ring, "Vanitas?"

"Um, hey. Are you working?" I hop a fence, grunting as I hit the ground on the other side.

"Sort of. I'm with Namine and Kairi. Is everything okay? How is Ventus doing?" she asks.

"Ventus will be fine. You wouldn't happen to know of any clone shelters around Radiant Garden, would you?" I cross over into the woods, looking around.

"Well, the closest shelter is in Twilight Town, why? Did something happen?" she replies.

"Just curious, thanks." I hang up and cross back through the yards of the neighborhood. I follow the roads, keeping hidden by the houses and shops as I go until I leave the city. I know where Twilight Town is, Axel moved here from there. It's not too far. Maybe a day's walk. I continue down the road until there's nothing but darkness around me. I rub my eyes as I walk, groaning softly. The contacts must be making them irritated. I take the contacts out quickly and my eyes hurt less. I rub my eyes again, _Without the contacts, my secret's gone._

As I continue walking, I feel the familiar pain of my insides twisting. I double over and cough up blood, groaning. I shiver, wiping my mouth on my glove. The movement causes pain to flare along my arm where I prove I'm alive. I groan, "Forgot about that.."

I stumble forward and continue towards my destination. I see light up ahead and the familiar noise of a vehicle roars in my ears. I step off to the side so I'm not in the road. The vehicle's headlights flash in my face and I cover my eyes, but not fast enough. The car suddenly stops and someone yells, "You see his eyes?! He's one of them!"

I turn and run, I hear doors open and then footsteps behind me. Whoever they are, they're coming after me because I'm a clone. _This is bad. This is very bad._ Best case scenario, they kill me right here, worst case scenario, worse things can happen, clones aren't people. No one will care how badly we're treated. No one cares how many of us are found dead on the side of the road.

I run as fast as I can but it's not fast enough. Both my arms are grabbed and I'm suddenly jerked backwards. I groan as my insides twist again and I cough up more blood. The first voice I heard groans, "This one's sick."

Another voice replies, "Doesn't matter, we can still use him. Help me get him into the truck."

I'm dragged backwards and I fight against them, trying to break free, but it's useless. I'm dragged back to their vehicle and I look back to see a man opening one of the two back doors. They pick me up and throw me in. The door shuts behind me and I'm really surrounded by darkness. I can hear their footsteps as they walk around the vehicle back to their seats up front. I crawl towards the door and I'm startled by a voice, "Don't bother. It's locked."

I turn back and within the darkness I can see an outline in the very top corner. I squint, trying to see past the darkness, but I can't. The boy sighs, "They lock the doors from outside. You can't open them from in here. I tried when I was caught a few days ago. It was locked then, and it's locked now."

"Who are you?" I fall, smashes my face against the metal bed encasing us as they vehicle jerks forward. I groan, "Who are they? Where are they taking us?"

"Who I am doesn't matter. Who you are doesn't matter. We're clones, we don't matter." the boy speaks bitterly, "Who they are? I don't know, all I know is they abducted me from some street in my hometown while I was with my Host. Since they went after you, too, I assume they're rounding up clones. I'm not sure why, but I am sure it's for nothing good."

"Right.." I frown, shivering as my body betrays me again. I cough up blood and the boy makes a sound of disgust, "What is wrong with you? Clones don't get sick."

I shudder, sitting up, "I'm a.. Special case.."


	12. Trust

**Trust**

We sit in silence in the dark truck for a long time. I can't see the boy in here with me, it's still far too dark. I frown, "Have you tried to escape?"

"Yeah, and being tasered doesn't feel too good," he replies.

I sigh, "I'm sure it doesn't.."

"We're probably going to die." he states.

"That's comforting." I groan, spitting blood on the floor.

"I've been in this van for almost a week, I don't have hope we're getting out of here safely," he sighs, "It's not like we matter to anyone."

"What about who you were cloned from? Your Host?" I ask, "Doesn't he care?"

"More than anyone I've ever met." he chuckles softly, "That stupid idiot is why I was captured. I was content being locked away in his house, and he wanted me to have the same experiences he was entitled to. I have no doubt he called the cops as soon as I was taken, but we both know the cops won't be looking for us."

"What's his name?" I ask.

"Why would I tell you that?" his voice turns cold, defensive.

"You want to protect him." I chuckle, "I get that. He's probably the only one who was ever nice to you."

"He was, not that that is any of your business." he says.

"Do you think he'll look for you himself, when the cops turn him away?" I ask, trying to look past the darkness to see his face.

"Why are you so interested in my Host?" he growls lightly.

"Just give me your name and I'll shut up about your Host." I reply.

"Somehow, I doubt that." he states.

I shrug, not that he can see it, "Well, you clearly have no need to preserve yourself, so giving me your name shouldn't be a problem."

"I don't see why you want me name so badly," he groans, "Either way, you're not getting it."

"Why not?" I smirk, "Why is your name such a sore spot for you?"

"What's your name?" he doesn't sound pleased about this conversation.

"My name is Vanitas," I reply.

He chuckles, but there's no humor, "Vanitas, huh? Do you even know what that means? Who named you, Vani?"

"Don't call me that," I frown, "My, uh.. Host's parents named me."

"The Latin meaning of the word vanitas is 'emptiness.' Man, they really knew how to name you, huh?" he laughs, "Just an empty clone."

"Why are you laughing?" I groan.

He snickers, "You're adorable, Vani. Who the hell would name something they care about Emptiness? No one's coming for us, Vani."

"Stop calling me that," I demand.

"Why?" he laughs again.

"I only let my brother call me that." I roll my eyes.

"You mean your _Host_ , right? 'Cause clones don't have any family, kid." he continues to snicker.

"Ventus is my family. He's the only one that actually cared about me," I look down, "And I almost killed him.."

He stops laughing instantly. We both sit in silence for a few minutes, and then he asks, "What happened?"

I keel over and throw up blood again. I groan, coughing, "Why do you care? Are you just trying to get back at me for being nosy?"

"Roxas." he speaks softly.

"What?" I ask.

"My name is Roxas." he replies.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, I guess." I sigh.

"Under better circumstances, sure." he chuckles lightly.

"You really think we're going to die?" I almost whisper.

"Most likely. I know clones aren't equal to humans." he explains, "Not sure, though. I've never been outside my house since I was created."

"How old are you?" I frown.

"Sixteen. Physically, anyway." he sighs, "I was created four years ago. How old are you?"

"Sixteen, physically." I nod, "Ventus is sixteen, too. He was eight when I was created, I was eight too."

"Yeah, that's how cloning works. You're the age of who you were cloned from when you were cloned." he chuckles lightly, "But child cloning. Isn't that highly illegal?"

"I don't know. I know it's looked down on. Never heard of it being illegal, though." I cough, "Why were you created?"

"Not sure, I was never told. What about you?" he replies, grunting as the van hits a large bump, sending the both of us jolted into the floor. I groan, coughing up more blood. I shiver and wipe my mouth, wincing as the motion rubs against the cuts on my arm. I sit up, I can feel the blood soaking into the fabric of the right glove. _Shit, the scabs broke. At least Roxas can't see this._ No one but me knows I cut myself. I don't have check-ups with Dr. Hikari anymore unless something goes wrong like a few days ago.

"Are you okay?" Roxas asks.

"Yeah," I cough, trying to hold down the blood trying to crawl out my throat.

I throw up the blood again despite my efforts and Roxas scoots a little closer to me, "Why do you get sick?"

"I'm a special kind of clone, or so they tell me," I lean back, closing my eyes as I explain to this stranger why I was created, and why I ran away. I explained how I was able to hide what I am so I could live a somewhat normal life. I don't know why I explained all of this to him, maybe it was just because I wanted to talk to someone who might understand. Roxas isn't like Namine, he's like me. He copies enough to have his own personality, too. I feel like I can trust this boy, despite not really knowing anything about him. If a clone can't trust another clone, then who can they trust?


End file.
